Archives for August 2011

What does it mean though? What is a leader exactly? Many smart people have studied and pondered this question. And many organizations have spent millions on the quest to develop leaders via readings, courses, competency models, feedback, 360 assessments, executive coaches, and more.

Both versions of the Fair Employment Opportunity Act of 2011 would make it illegal for an employer to: refuse to consider for employment or refuse to offer employment to an individual because of the individual’s status as unemployed; publish in print, on the Internet or in any other media, an advertisement or announcement for any job that includes any provision stating or indicating that an individual’s status as unemployed disqualifies the individual for a job (“must be currently employed”); and direct or request that an employment agency take an individual’s status as unemployed into account in screening or referring applicants for employment.

As I work with executives and high potentials, my primary focus is in identifying those unique strengths that each leader has that must continue to be nurtured, strengthened and leveraged in order for them to become the best leaders they can be while at the same time helping their organization achieve its’ goals. I am also passionately focused on identifying in partnership with each coachee those unique development needs that need to be addressed.

Regardless of the cause, it is absolutely critical to regularly take the time and think about, understand, and appreciate the recruiting life cycle from the candidate’s side – the job seeker, the passive candidate, the non-job seeker, and the elusive “A+ player.”

As a time management life coach, I’ve found that many of my clients have a dread of finishing that they keep hidden away—hoping that no one will ever notice that they get a lot of little things done while never quite completing the really important stuff.

Every company wants innovation in one form or another, and innovation comes from creativity. But where does creativity come from? Finding the right kind of inspired individual to bring into your office is sometimes as much a talent as the artistic qualities you’re looking for in the first place. Creatives are often a different breed: less worried about profit, less tied into the world of MBAs and bottom lines, and more adept at populating clouds of big ideas and grandiose designs.

Recently, former LA Mayor Richard Riordan outlined the priorities. “Let’s look at the future. Whatever solution we have for our economy, the basic thing is jobs, jobs, jobs.” One of the bright spots – by almost universal acclaim – is the prospect for clean energy jobs. But what does that exactly mean for you?

There was no pride of ownership. Instead, our practice was to throw our ideas out into the space between us. Then we’d have at them — turning them over, rearranging them, even attacking them in favor of better ideas. The only thing that mattered was creating something richer, deeper, simpler and smarter. We both believed we could produce something better collaboratively than either of us could working alone. The joy when we nailed it felt magical. It never occurred to us to parse who contributed to what. Until, one day, it did.

But there is no one size that fits all for anything anymore. There is also no career ladder anymore, but there is a lattice. Each person’s career journey is different. Career development today is so much more than just identifying a series of career moves or steps on a walkway to the Holy Grail of career nirvana. Everyone has to understand their own personal brand.

We start a day with great intentions. But then people start calling and emailing, asking and directing, and soon we can hardly remember what we wanted to focus on in the first place — if we ever knew. Our days begin to look like frenzied, attempts to get traction while making little headway. By the end of a week, we’ve forgotten what it was we were hoping to accomplish at the beginning of the week. And by the end the year, we’re frustrated that we haven’t moved forward in our most important priorities.

When it comes to advancing technologies for alternative energy, there are many issues to consider. Those that impact the system’s efficiency, reliability and life-cycle cost should be at the top of the priority list. For example, it’s important to be sure that the cables specified for the wind farm align with the standards of the larger grid. To specify anything less is short-term thinking that could result in lost revenue due to downtime, expensive repairs and negative publicity.